1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat-transfer techniques. More specifically, the present invention relates to compact, passive cooling components for use in electronic devices.
2. Related Art
The computational performance provided by electronic devices has increased significantly in recent years. This has resulted in increased power consumption and associated heat generation in these products. Consequently, it has become a considerable challenge to manage this thermal load to maintain acceptable internal and external operating temperatures for these devices.
Portable devices, such as laptop computers (notebook PCs), cellular telephones, and personal digital assistants pose additional design constraints. In particular, size and weight limitations in such devices can make it difficult to achieve desired operational temperatures. For example, in many applications the size and weight of metal heat sinks may be prohibitive. In addition, battery life in such devices may preclude the use of active cooling mechanisms, such as fans.
Hence what is needed are electronic devices that include compact and passive cooling mechanisms that overcome the problems listed above.